CHART OF THE DAY: The CME Is Making Tons Of Money On The Bond Market Sell-Off

As U.S. Treasuries sell off and yields rise, bond funds are seeing record outflows.

Last week alone, investors pulled $23.3 billion from fixed income funds.

Unlike the fixed income asset managers, though, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is loving this sell-off.

Crain's Chicago reporter Lynne Marek highlights the link between the CME and rising interest rates:

On May 29, CME logged the biggest trading day of its 165-year-history, with nearly 27 million contracts changing hands. That day a Fed official signaled the central bank's plan to ease its buying of U.S. bonds, which has kept interest rates low. The new tack kicked up market volatility and gave traders a need to hedge interest rates with futures contracts.

CME "stock is very interest rate-sensitive," former CME board member Robert Corvino says. "Volume has exploded."

It may be the case that many investors aren't looking to load up on bonds, given the potential for further losses as the Federal Reserve normalizes policy in the coming months and years – but someone still has to trade them, even on the way down.

Business Insider/Matthew Boesler, data from Bloomberg

View the original article here